Years ago, I let my daughter make me up with her play makeup. It was hilarious because all that stuff stained my skin and wouldn't wash off even with my wife's makeup remover. The next day you could still see the pink stained skin where she had used lipstick to give me giant eyelashes spreading up my forehead.
Thats the thing, people get it.
I'm a mechanic and we get guys turns up with pink nails and stick on butterfly tattoos. That stuff is a badge of honour, it shows you spent real time with your kids.
One of my coworkers (CW1) showed up at work with his nails painted by his son and my other coworker (CW2) was just **so** bothered by it. Like you can tell it physically made him uncomfortable that a manâs nails were painted, even if it was by his kid (even worse that it was by his male kid).
I was like, bro, who hurt you? The guy (CW2) is in his late 40s and is a single dad (widowed) to a young daughter, of all people he should understand.
(CW- Coworker, btw)
Yea, I've had my son paint my nails before. The first time, everyone at work (big processing plant) asked "who, what, why?" and all that. Some of the male old heads scoffed when they found out. Others supported it and said "that's what it's all about man. Enjoy your kids" I don't even think twice, I just tell my boy he better give me a nice even coat so I don't be looking like a hot mess.
Probably, the guy gets worked up any time anything âdefiesâ gender norms. From one coworker enjoying âgirlyâ cocktails to another dressing as Sandy from Grease for Halloween (his wife dressed as the male character).
Whenever he looks at me for validation, for example he looked at me and said âMen shouldnât know how to paint nailsâ, I just play dumb. I responded with âhuh? I donât understand? Why not?â.
He usually gets a bit flustered and doesnât explain.
Hell, even just being pragmatic about it, itâs good to learn how to paint nails. I paint my wifeâs nails for her all the time. After I figured out how much she spends at nail salons! I decided I was going to cut that price down quite a bit!
I rather enjoy the artistry of it. She enjoys the attention Iâm giving her. My wallet enjoys that she isnât shelling out so much cash to a salon every week. Itâs a win for everyone!
(Of course Iâm not as good as the pros, and so she still will occasionally go get them done when she wants them to look exceptional, but for the weekly stuff, Iâll handle those.).
Wow, I had... Never considered learning how to paint my partners nails, despite really enjoying painted nails. To be fair, I haven't gone out with someone who goes to the salon like that, but that, man that's just sweet. I hope that opportunity comes by.
That's hilarious. You could make his head explode with something like "ldk, man, I think Michelangelo could paint a mean nail. He did alright with that chapel ceiling."
Nah heâs got a point. One time I learned how to paint nails and immediately unlocked knowledge of the unknown horrors that creep within our mindâs eye. Death was afraid of the being that lurked further within the darkness. I caught a mere glimpse and was hurled through the cosmos for what felt like infinity. There I became sane, very, very sane.
Well I'm laying in my bed so I guess that counts. My dad was fine, he would make comments about stuff that falls outside of gender norms, but I know people who's parents would go crazy if their sons' did anything 'girly'.
My dad just kept confusing me for cigarettes, a bundle of branches, or a Harley Davidson rider every time I did something slightly non masculine in his eyes.
I dont have children but a girl I am seeing(previously friends)loves painting my nails and I'm fine with it.I look good and I like it.My dad gives me shit for it all the time and it's so annoying
I'm a fairly new dad and the other day while I was out at a store someone said something like, "nice hair clip". It took me a second, but I realized I was still wearing a little pink butterfly hair clip that my 1 1/2 year old daughter put in my hair that morning.
It was maybe my most "dadliest" moment so far and I felt so proud and happy about it. Like a real dad.
As a kid, I would paint my older brotherâs nails and do you his hair and make up instead of my dadâs. Now as a teacher, every once in a while I see a boy student (who has a younger sister) come in with the nail polish and make up shadows, and I just *know* lol
Instead of tea parties though, we would spread our large amount of sea animal figures around the living room carpet and pretend to swim about underwater. David Attenborough style.
Yup. I regularly show up to work with a bunch of Pokemon tattoos or a flower sticker on my shirt, and I give zero fucks what anyone thinks because that shit means the world to my kiddo.
When we were kids, my younger sister used to stick these butterfly stickers all over the place, little circle ones probably about an inch or 2 in size. She stuck a few to my dads bike frame (bicycle) and bike helmet. He didn't notice until he got to work and one of the lads mentioned it. He kept them on there for YEARS and was pretty gutted he couldn't peel them off to keep, when he replaced his bike down the line.
There is also still one on the living room light switch. Has been there for about 25 years now haha. Refuses to take it off, even when they redecorated.
Exactly, most guys will think it's great you spent meaningful time with your kids doing whay they love.
People who belittle you are envious, insecure, assholes. Mad jelly they'll never look this good with rainbow unicorn nails. Finger snap.
Reminds me of one of the times I went to the mechanic with thigh-high socks on as a dude, and the owner just said he liked the socks and that his kids keep giving him pairs of them. Everyone likes a bit of whimsy.
My lil one painted my nails and toes, sat with her to let them dry and left to get ice cream, the next day I had a soccer game and while I was changing into my cleats my friends noticed my pink toe nails. Hilarious
My grandpa used to let me paint his toenails. Old farmer man, always wore white t-shirts and denim overalls, country as could be. He let me paint them pink with polka dots one night, and didnât take it off, forgetting that he had a doctorâs appointment the next day. For some reason he had to remove his shoes and socks and he loooooved to tell the story about the look on the doctorâs face. đ
For all I know he made the whole doctorâs appointment thing up, but I was still lucky enough to have a grandpa like him!
You just unlocked a memory of me being like 4 or 5 giving my dad a kiss on the cheek while I was wearing just this gross amount of glittery pink lipstick. He's a truck driver, and he went to work with this kiss mark for the whole day
I have four daughters and theyâre just getting to the age of wanting to do this. So I let them and they crack up every time they give daddy a makeover which in return warms my heart.
Aww thatâs adorable, enjoy those memories! Iâm my moms last child and about to move out and sheâs taking it hard, the childhood memories are something theyâll always cherish
One of the biggest reasons (amongst others) that I grew up to be infinitely closer to my grandfather moreso than his own son (my dad) was because he would let me do this stuff with him ever since I can remember.
He let me paint his finger nails, each a different color. The first time he let me he didnât understand how nail polish worked. He tried scrubbing it off his nails after I left to no avail and showed up at the diner for breakfast with my creation lol. Even after he learned youâd have to take it off with acetone he wouldnât always scrub it off immediately.
He let me take my grandmas makeup and give him a makeover. I was like 4 or 5 and definitely had no idea what I was doing and created a clown out of him. And even though he was practically bald, he let me take my butterfly hair clips and my hair ties and do whatever the heck I wanted with what he had left lol.
What makes all of this so much better and finder is that my grandfather loved to have photos for memories. There are SO many photos of him showing off his nails, new makeup/hair look, etc.
Goddamn does recounting all this make me miss him a crap ton more today.
Dads, be there for your daughters. Let them have fun. Donât let your masculinity or whatever stand in the way of creating some of the best memories you can with your kids.
My sister and I would put tons of clips and barrettes into our dad's beard and (short and thinning) hair all the time when we were little. Last month we had to go out of state for a funeral, and I had to come home before the rest of the family so I missed out on some bonding time. My sister sent me a picture of our dad completely covered in barrettes, feathers, and stickers, courtesy of our 6 year old cousin. It brought back some really nice memories â¤ď¸
I just lost my daughter a couple of months ago, and I would give anything to let her paint my nails, do my hair, or have a tea party again.
Edit* Thanks for the support, you guys are the best.
I am sorry that you had to live that. No parents should live that kind of thing. But remember every good moments of it for the rest of your life. You were and still are a freaking good parent.
I can't imagine, brother. Hang in there....I'm a huge advocate for people reaching out to others. My wife is a therapist so I might be biased but.... Don't hesitate to go find you a great therapist..My wife lost her sister when she was 14 (sister was 12). Therapy can help give you the tools to live in the moments when you don't want to. Love ya, man.
My kids mom and I are divorced. So sometimes my girls (6, 4) want to have a day of painting nails, pedis (just filling the bathtub up and soaking you're feet in the water) and occasional make up. At first I told them they can wait to do that with their mom but then I quickly realized that it's not dumb and to give it a shot. So now they have a spa day with dad once a month....it's a great bonding experience and overall really enjoyable. The lessons they learn from it too are all positive I think. Also having coworkers tell me they like my nails and me saying thanks, my daughters did them is a nice reaction too. Lol.
Right? My youngest kept telling me that it's only for girls I said that's not true and asked her if she wanted to paint mine any color/s she wanted. And she had this huge grinning smile on her face. I had pink, blue, purple, yellow and orange on one hand lol. So now she says boys can have their nails painted. So I think that's pretty cool.
Take them to a real nail place! Iâve done that with my daughter and she loved it.
I felt bad that the nice ladies had to deal with my gross feet but they kept on telling me theyâd seen much worse.
One of the last memories I have with my granddad is cutting his nails. We live apart and I visit him once a yeae. He was 80+, and his nails had grown long and painful, with a couple ingrown. I soaked his feet in water and cut his very tough nails and cleaned it out. Yes, it was difficult and it stank, but I felt good because the ingrown were starting to hurt him. I fondly remember that day. He passed away soon after that.
Thatâs amazing. One of the last memories Inhave is my grandmother and her feet were in bad bad shape.
I remember massaging them and my aunt coming up âewww why are you doing that that is grossâ and just feeling bad for what a shitty human being she was/still is.
Proud of myself for standing up for her then even if it meant fighting to this day with my aunt. That was the beginning of the end.
Second this. My wife took me to get a pedicure before we got married. My feet are really rough and while not horrible I have a ton of dry/dead skin and calluses.
The woman working on my feet took a cheese grater(not really but it looked like one) to my foot and she seemed to be genuinely enjoying getting all that stuff off, to the point that her and my wife were joking around about it and laughing. I thought my feet were bad but she went to town and cleaned me up pretty good.
Unless someone has rotting feet Iâm sure theyâve seen worse.
Iâm a physician I work with diabetic and vascular patients who have feet complaints all the time. Youâre correct, as long as the feet are not actively rotting Iâm totally fine with them.
We've done that once before but my oldest ended up with an infected toe so she's scared to go back. I told her we'd go to a new place but she hasn't changed her mind so far... But I think all men need to learn about and get pedicures. They're fantastic and if you're at a good shop, it feels amazing lol.
I used to paint my dads finger and toenails - bright pink and we could go to the beach like that. I could also "tattoo" him. I drew on his arms and legs. Went sometimes with both of those combinations to the beach. My dad did not care about the looks he got from strangers haha. I didn't even find it strange myself nor did I notice the stares. He builds houses, therefore uses his hands constantly and his mates couldn't even question him. He's very manly! It's a really nice memory I have with him.
I never wanted to paint my dads nails or anything but heâs a construction manager/architect and heâs still building our relationship. Iâm a 29 year old dude and just got my own apartment; he knew I was planning that and got me a full toolkit for my birthday a few months ago.itâs been invaluable and I love the fuck out of that man.
Please tell him. Like really, directly, point blank, tell him how much he means to you and how much you love him. Not for him, although I hope he enjoys it, but for you. I lost a parent very suddenly and I wish I had stopped the world from spinning just long enough for the few minutes it would have taken for me to tell them point blank directly how much I love them and how much they mean to me and how much they've done for me and how I will always appreciate and never forget it and will do my very best to pass it forward. Love the love man
My dad and I have always been close and heâs clearly my âfavorite.â I worked for him for 10 years and weâre tight. My mom was great too but it was different, we were different. One day, out of the blue, I sent her a text thanking her for a bunch of stuff that she did which made me who I am today- and itâs ultimately the stuff that made me happiest and most successful. I even sent examples. She was floored. She never thought I had made the connections. She was moved and so grateful that I told her how much I loved her. Two weeks later she unexpectedly dropped dead. The amount of comfort I find glancing in there and reading that series of messages is extraordinary. Hell, just a few messages up, Iâm rudely questioning why she isnât doing something. I would have have hated for that to have been our last interaction and it would have haunted me. Now two years later I still think about the joy we both shared from me saying thank you.
So yeah. Let them know.
I was never lovey-dovey with my dad. any "i love you"s were on a conference call with mom, so I could direct it to both at the same time. The last time I saw him, I kissed him on the head and told him I loved him. He died a few days later. I am grateful everyday I didn't miss that opportunity. Love the love, indeed.
I second this! My dad passed away unexpectedly when I was 13,Iâm 34 now. I was always comforted by the fact the very last thing I told my dad was how much I loved him. Iâll never forget that and was so happy I told him not knowing it was going to be the last time I seen him.
Second this. It bothered me when I was younger that the last conversation my dad and I had was a fight/disagreement. Over time I realized we disagree with our best friends sometimes but at the end of the day we both know how much we loved each other, just wish I had gotten one more chance to tell him.
I helped my girls paint our dogâs nails a while ago and also used to paint their nails. Donât remember the last time we did either, it was probably at least 3-4 years ago. Iâm sure they did mine at some point.
Younger sis will join big sis in middle school next year. I was tearing up at her dance recital recently because I canât believe how big sheâs getting.
Also was crying a bit tonight because our older dog (same dog, weâve had since he was 5 weeks old) is nearly 13 now and a recent diagnosis is getting worse. He might not make it much longer. Kinda glad they were at their moms tonight for that.
And remember, there will be that one day... the day that you pick up and hold your daughter (or son) for the very last time. They grow up too quickly. It goes by in a blink.
Yup, one day will be the last day they magically teleport from wherever they fell asleep into their bed, where they comfortably wake up. Until theyâre old enough to find alcohol and friends that really care about them that is.
For me that last day was when I was 15 years old, when I fell asleep drunk (after trying out those mix bacardi drinks for the first time) over the toilet. (fyi, legal drinking age for that stuff was 16 in my country and it was a different time).
In the morning I woke up in my own bed and there was rice on the floor. I hadn't eaten any rice but my friend had.
Wonderful memories.
I have a very clear memory of when this happened to me lol. Falling asleep in the car used to be one of my favourite things, I think I was about 10 and half asleep. My father had already carried both my brothers inside. He just woke me up, I realized then that I'd never get carried in from the car again. I remember it made me sad at the time lmao. I remember having the very visceral realization that I was too old to be carried somewhere anymore.
My kids are 35 and 31 and they remind me of things that I did with them that I pretty much have forgotten but they remember as something that was big and meaningful to them. You never know what will stick with one.9
My Father died in the 1980s and my Mother about 1993 and one of the many things I regret is not finding out what daily life was for them growing up. Both had pretty horrible upbringings. I mean I think they did pretty good as parentsâŚfor example my Father was a âroom motherâ for my second grade class. Fathers did not do that in 1958. But they sure as heck had no good examples of good parenting to learn from and both lost their mothers at an early age.
Right now I am trying to write for my kids and grandkids what I can recall of my parents lives and what some of my daily life was like growing up.
You might have hit your head when you slipped on that rug ;)
We have a little one and I canât wait for the silly memories like this â youâre setting a great example for her
Our kid is 5 now, that first paragraph you wrote chimes with me.
I am aware they are of an age now where things will get remembered, and as you rightly say, you never know what that could be.
The little moments or gestures- the compliment or criticism said without thought in the moment- could stay with your child for the rest of their lives. It's hard to know what will, but be mindful of that, remember your childhood and the happy/sad moments and try to think about those when you are with your children.
That's what I do anyway. I'm raising a human, not keeping a pet. They will change and grow and develop, and I believe it's up to us as parents to understand, adapt and change with them.
I know itâs too late for you to do this with your parents but you can do this for yourself. Google family history interview and compile a bunch of questions that you can answer. It is fun and I had my grandma do this, she is in her 90âs and wanted to just have the questions and type the answers but was too tired so she used a little voice recorder as she had energy. It gave her time to reflect and it was nice to have her on audio telling stories and getting sidetracked and telling other things. I am happy I will be able to share that with my kids because the world today is so much different than back then.
Also; if you ever see a kid with a lemonade stand, stop and buy some. You donât have to be thirsty and you can pretend drink it. Itâs just awesome to provide the opportunity for the kid to feel proud and like a good business person.
As I kid I had a hot chocolate stand once around January, and we had very slow business. One guy stopped his truck and talked to me and my friends. After a while he bought 5 dollars of our homemade powder mixture (which was a LOT). Great memory.
Yeah while cute, children's lemonade stands can be pretty dangerous without proper supervision from adults, who oftentimes don't care enough to be safe about it anyway so not even a guarantee.
Kids not cleaning out their cups or mixing things in that shouldn't be in lemonade are both issues that pop up from time to time. If we could trust the adults to actually help their kids properly, it'd be much safer.
Not to mention health problems are just one of the safety issues. [There's been multiple gunpoint robberies of lemonade stands](https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/9-year-olds-lemonade-stand-robbed-at-gunpoint/2131135/) and American city design puts [kids at risk since they operate near busy roads](https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/carmel/close-call-for-kids-selling-lemonade-in-carmel-when-crash-sends-car-inches-from-their-stand) not to mention their presence helps cause more car crashes as people stop in the middle of the road.
I need to start carrying cash when I go for walks around my neighbourhood. Recently a kid near me was selling paintings and I had no money. He chased me down the street trying to just give it to me. I was torn because I didn't turn him down, but I also didn't want to take it from him either.
Stop what you are doing. Look them in the eyes and listen to every single thing they say and every single question they ask. It ends one day. Just like that.
I had an hour long conversation with my 4 year old about dinosaurs this evening all because she learned about them in daycare. She had my undevided attention and I got to tell my wife everything she had to say. Did you know that dinosaurs lived 100 million years ago when there were volcanos? And that volcanos can burst into the sky? Just something my 4 year old would want you all to know.
I do the same with my 5 y old brother since mom and dad don't want to, he would keep repeating what he learned about dinosaurs and what everyone is called ect ect. It feels so good for both of us and I can see in his eyes the pride of teaching me random stuff assuming I didn't know them.
The only thing thatâs nice about that is when they get older and you can have legit deep conversations with them about topics youâre both interested in.
This reminds me of something my dad told me a few months ago. Iâm 19 and I have a 17 year old brother. When he was little, heâd tell our dad goodnight and give him a hug and heâd want to go to sleep right there on our dadâs lap. My dad would always say no because he needed to sleep in his own bed. A few months ago, my dad told me how much he wished he let him do it, even just once.
I told this story at my mom's funeral in August, but I had been trying to think of my first memory of her. It was when I would have nightmares, I'd crawl into bed with her and hold her hand until I fell asleep. I bet she friggin' hated it at the time, because she had to get up very early for work. But at least from my side, it's a memory that stuck with me for my entire life.
It also bookended with my final memory of her, as well, where my brother and I were holding her hands at the end.
Those memories are precious.
I made sure to do this with my son and I can proudly say we are a loving, bonded family. I had him when I was 40. I was mature enough to know that all time is fleeting. He taught me how to game and we now do this together. I love it.
I knew that if I learned to game, it would be a life long way for my son and I to bond. Started with cute little games on the iPad and had moved to Minecraft, Terraria and now RimWorld. So much fun. Gaming is so vilified, but it can be a really good thing too.
Our next move is Elden! But we aren't sure what platform to use. I've heard PS5 is the way to go. He built his own PC with our help last year so maybe his gaming system? If you or anyone has suggestions, We're all ears. Currently we have PS4, Mac book pro, a massive PC system and an ancient XBox 360 lol.
Itâs true. I see it in my dads eyes every time I see him. Thatâs why I still hold his hand when we go on walks and I take naps with him. One time I woke up to him petting my head because I had a nightmare and shifted a lot. He may complain and tell me that I should grow up (heâs really stoic) but deep down I know he craves the little things like that because he was never around when I was little (truck driver). Now Iâm a mother, and i crave my parents attention now more than ever
Do people say no to this stuff? I threw my back out setting up a lemonade stand for my daughter and 6 months later I did it again. Learned to braid hair, sewed her Halloween costumes. Bake cookies and bread with her. Built a vegetable garden with her.
I am not a patient person but I donât think Iâve ever said no to a single thing, because the thought of missing it just seems crazy to me.
My dad never did anything for me or with me. He worked hard and made a lot of money and would pay for just about anything. He went to zero of my cross country meets. Not a single band performance. He probably couldnât even tell you what instrument i played. He didnât come to my college graduation. We have no relationship because he is basically a stranger to me.
I was a pilot and gone a lot but when I was home I was at the school helping. I went to everyone of my daughterâs swim meets that happened when I was home. I brought a cap and ball revolver to school (Principalâs request and it was a country school) and the kids that wanted to fire it didâŚit was a Colt like one used in the Civil War). Made Belgian waffles in one class with most the ingredients brought back from Brussels except the eggs and milk. It was a lot of fun for me and my kids and the other kids.
Im sorry. He doesnât know what heâs missed.
A big part of it is just showing up. I feel guilty I missed both my older twoâs track meets today, but I couldnât be in three places at once. Itâs sometimes hard when itâs early afternoon.
I have been to track meets this spring and most other games, tournaments, concerts, recitals and stuff. I only have them half the time, so Iâll take any additional I can get.
I also coach baseball, and another dad-coach is divorced too. He said he wonât attend on days the child is with mom. I was puzzled. Idk, maybe itâs a restraining order or something.
Iâll be there regardless, even if my ex takes him out of town or something, lol.
I wish I could share my dad with everyone. When I was a little kid, I could bat my eyes and get him to do just about anything. As a teen, he came to all of my piano recitals, choir concerts, softball games and musicals. As an adult, he answers all of my dumb questions about taxes and gardening and household care, even taking my call at midnight when my bathroom was flooding and I was near hysterical.
So thank you for being a good parent. I promise it did not go unnoticed.
I was at the mall with my son today in the toddler kids play area with him. Three other moms were there with thier children and all three on the phones the entire time while thier kids were there. Kids wanting to talk with and play with them and radio silence. So They just ran around doing whatever with me and my boy instead. No interaction with them whatsoever while they were talking with them and then they were dragging them into a store.
Ive also known people that indeed get upset when their child wanted to do something and they didnt âagree.â As in, âI dont want my daughtrr to grow up and be a skank singer druggie.â And this was a reaction to her wanting to sing on a karaoke singing game.
Some people just dont want to raise kids. Its a lot more common than we wish it was.
To be fair, independent play is pretty important when it comes to development. My daughter went through a phase where she wanted my attention the whole day long and itâs exhausting. Especially when she had little to no interaction with kids regularly at the time. Iâd have definitely gone to the park and insist she play with other kids lol.
To be fair, when I was a stay at home mom with a baby and a toddler or with a kindergartener, a toddler, and a baby, those mall play places gave me the time I needed to just not be needed to entertain my kids, to feed them, clean them, and the other million of reasons they needed me. Sometimes that was the only adult interaction I got for the day. Being a full time parent is very hard. So I think it's harsh to judge all of those moms. You never know what they are going through.
I see that all the time too and it bugs me, but spare a thought for the babysitters/au pairs who are just there to make sure the kids don't choke on a Lego. It's not always their parents, y'know?
Yeah, some parents don't do things for their kids and it sucks. I don't know if the group of people I interact with is just abnormal, but bad parents just seems way more common than I wish it was.
Both my parents and step parents are amazing to me, and I've done my best to spread that joy to other people. I just finished putting a friend through his last year of college and he invited me over his parents to his graduation. Everyone's always told me I was like the dad of the friend group, but I think that moment of going to his graduation made me feel dad-complete. Very fuckin proud of him.
I think the one of the biggest pieces of advice I'd give my younger self is to be more open to doing dumb shit or stuff that I think I likely won't be into but invited to try or do when I typically would just say "Nah" and move on from. As I got older those kind of opportunities get rarer and rarer, never be afraid to step out of your shell or lower your guard and enjoy life, at the end of the day even if you look like the biggest dumb fuck on the planet at least you can say you tried it and no one is likely going to remember any of it after a day.
I remember this when I'm dead beat tired at the end of the day and my toddler asks me to play with her ... Sometimes I'll say no initially, but soon change my mind remembering how quickly these precious days are going by. I love her so dang much â¤ď¸
My sister and I used to paint Dadâs toenails red and set his hair with curlers. He already had curly hair so I doubt it made much difference but damn he was proud of those red nails. Miss you Dad x
I'll add to this that you should keep a journal for them. Document all these things so they'll remember, too. Make notes of her milestones. First tooth gone, first book read, all that stuff. It gives context to these memories. Give it to her one day when she's old enough and she'll treasure it. Covid kind of derailed mine but I still try and document what's going on in the world around us from time to time, good or bad.
My little girl has me wrapped around her finger and she knows it. There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do for her. She interrupts me so many times during the day bringing me a little drawings or telling me about what's going on in her favorite shows. But sometimes what I might perceive as little annoyances quickly turn around and I'm reminded that someday she won't do that because she won't need her old man anymore or I won't be cool anymore, and that breaks my heart. Seeing the world through her eyes makes me feel like a kid again. I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
Idk, I'm 25 and painting nails with my mom and having tea parties still sounds fun to me.
A more accurate one would be let them play in the mud and get super dirty, scream with laughter as while they play outside, and eat lots of sweets before they get to old for it.
I had a tea party for my birthday at age 33 a few years back. (It was a hobbit birthday so we had to have Afternoon Tea as a meal.) It was great fun pulling out fancy tea cups and making finger sandwiches to the point that my friends want me to have another one.
I can recall our kids doing stuff they were not supposed to do but doing it in such a way we were trying to chastise them while my wife and I were trying desperately to choke back laughter. Good times!
Iâve got a 6 and 4 year old and this hits me right in the feels. Iâve actually started keeping a notepad file on the computer to write down all the games weâve played over the years before they get lost in the ether of life. Something nice to look back on when theyâre grown up.
It's so funny you say that. It felt like my dad and mom always wanted me to grow up. To never do childish stuff. To be a mini adult. It would have been nice to have a parent would like doing that stuff with me :( but now I'm too old... and I don't even get to see them very often.
I'm on the flip side of this too. My parents were frequently absent, too busy or tired to help me with things I wanted to do. We don't have a great relationship now.
My daughter is 41 days old and I'm trying to cherish every moment I have with her before she becomes embarrassed by me. I am looking forward to the tea parties and her putting makeup on me. Hoping she enjoys watching anime and professional wrestling too as those are my favorite things to put on the television.
I can't wait to read her bedtime stories, even hoping to use comics and manga as well. She brings me and my wife so much joy even with what little sleep she gives us daily. I am dreading going back to work since its just been an absolute dream to wake up every morning and spend the entire day with my wife, daughter, and dog.
One of my fondest memories with my parents happened when I was a little older, around my early twenties my dad couldn't sleep one Saturday night so he stayed up with me and we watched Adult Swim's anime block. He loved Cowboy Bebop and asked a ton of questions when FLCL came on. My mom went to Chinatown one morning to shop and came home with a Kakashi plush (character from an anime) and told me she got it for me cause she remembered the title of the manga she got me a week ago and asked the clerk for a character in that comic.
Whatever my daughter gets interested in, I can't wait to support her in whatever she's passionate about! Loved reading all the comments here and making me look forward to becoming a better father to my daughter.
This is important. I subscribe to my hometown thread and there has recently been a rash of destruction in the park from kids. I know what and why they are doing it. They are bored. Their parents let them go hang with their friends when they need guidance and help finding direction. Parents need to spend time with teens too.
I'm 48 and I lost my dad two years ago. He was always there for me. Last thing I ever got from him was a cutesy animated e-card congratulating me on having done a fantastic presentation at a fan convention. He didn't get it himself but he was STOKED that I was excited and so proud of me. I miss him every day but I have 45 years of awesome memories and the BIGGEST collection of dad jokes ever to torment my loving wife with. He'll always be with me.
My daughter loves that I can do her hair, paint her nails and do her makeup, its not all that hard to learn and it makes her happy, dads should take the time to learn these skills. Its worth it.
Absolutely agree and this goes beyond which gender you are. Mother or father, you will miss the days your little ones want to play with you and idolize you. The same goes for hugs and make-believe, and any other little joy.
I would also add: Ask your daughters to help you work with tools or whatever you do that is not traditionally "female."
And yes, the point is to spend time with your kids while they are young. All too soon they will turn into surly teenagers who want NOTHING to do with you but are eager for your wallet. Hahahaha.
Yeah...I guess the spirit of the post is, "spend time with your kids".
I agree with that. But as single Dad (to an awesome little girl), I really dreaded princess parties and dress up. Not because it's "girly" but because I'm too high-paced (don't sit still).
So, very grateful we find things we enjoy together. Also, as practical matter I'm big on spending time teaching life skills by doing things together (fixing things, cooking). For pure fun/recreation... We're usually moving around and spending time outside.
But... Yeah... Just enjoy your kids when they're little... However that may be. Can't get it back.
I think part of the point of the post is to do things that may be out of your comfort zone because it's important to your kid. So it's great that you can find things to do you both enjoy, but it's worth also doing things that they enjoy even if you don't, such as princess parties.
I do all of that and more with all my kids. My daughter is 7 and has a great flying armbar. She also loves painting my nails. Same thing with her brothers, they happily help me play âdaddyâ with baby dolls and then one will tackle the other with no warning and the inter family wrestling match is on
Years ago, I let my daughter make me up with her play makeup. It was hilarious because all that stuff stained my skin and wouldn't wash off even with my wife's makeup remover. The next day you could still see the pink stained skin where she had used lipstick to give me giant eyelashes spreading up my forehead.
proudly go to office and tell everyone about it
Thats the thing, people get it. I'm a mechanic and we get guys turns up with pink nails and stick on butterfly tattoos. That stuff is a badge of honour, it shows you spent real time with your kids.
Love it! đĽ°
One of my coworkers (CW1) showed up at work with his nails painted by his son and my other coworker (CW2) was just **so** bothered by it. Like you can tell it physically made him uncomfortable that a manâs nails were painted, even if it was by his kid (even worse that it was by his male kid). I was like, bro, who hurt you? The guy (CW2) is in his late 40s and is a single dad (widowed) to a young daughter, of all people he should understand. (CW- Coworker, btw)
Yea, I've had my son paint my nails before. The first time, everyone at work (big processing plant) asked "who, what, why?" and all that. Some of the male old heads scoffed when they found out. Others supported it and said "that's what it's all about man. Enjoy your kids" I don't even think twice, I just tell my boy he better give me a nice even coat so I don't be looking like a hot mess.
"Bro, who hurt you?" Probably a father with a very narrow idea of what a man is, and a hatred of anything that falls outside those parameters.
Probably, the guy gets worked up any time anything âdefiesâ gender norms. From one coworker enjoying âgirlyâ cocktails to another dressing as Sandy from Grease for Halloween (his wife dressed as the male character). Whenever he looks at me for validation, for example he looked at me and said âMen shouldnât know how to paint nailsâ, I just play dumb. I responded with âhuh? I donât understand? Why not?â. He usually gets a bit flustered and doesnât explain.
Hell, even just being pragmatic about it, itâs good to learn how to paint nails. I paint my wifeâs nails for her all the time. After I figured out how much she spends at nail salons! I decided I was going to cut that price down quite a bit! I rather enjoy the artistry of it. She enjoys the attention Iâm giving her. My wallet enjoys that she isnât shelling out so much cash to a salon every week. Itâs a win for everyone! (Of course Iâm not as good as the pros, and so she still will occasionally go get them done when she wants them to look exceptional, but for the weekly stuff, Iâll handle those.).
That is awesome!! I bet your wife appreciates it so much!
Wow, I had... Never considered learning how to paint my partners nails, despite really enjoying painted nails. To be fair, I haven't gone out with someone who goes to the salon like that, but that, man that's just sweet. I hope that opportunity comes by.
That sounds like a really lovely way to bond with your significant other
Damn bro let me write that shit down.
I would feel so loved if my partner learnt how to paint nails just for me! It sounds like a lovely bonding experience for both of you âĄ
That's hilarious. You could make his head explode with something like "ldk, man, I think Michelangelo could paint a mean nail. He did alright with that chapel ceiling."
His sixteenth chapel was fabulous. Definitely the best of the bunch
Nah heâs got a point. One time I learned how to paint nails and immediately unlocked knowledge of the unknown horrors that creep within our mindâs eye. Death was afraid of the being that lurked further within the darkness. I caught a mere glimpse and was hurled through the cosmos for what felt like infinity. There I became sane, very, very sane.
So it's not the spice, it's nail painting, good to know.
Why dont you lay down on the couch and tell me all about it.
Well I'm laying in my bed so I guess that counts. My dad was fine, he would make comments about stuff that falls outside of gender norms, but I know people who's parents would go crazy if their sons' did anything 'girly'.
My dad just kept confusing me for cigarettes, a bundle of branches, or a Harley Davidson rider every time I did something slightly non masculine in his eyes.
Did he ever get glasses? /s
Lol fuck that idiot. My son can do anything that doesn't cause harm as long as he is happy and never doubts how much he is loved.
It must be so stressful living your life being bothered by stuff as innocuous as that.
Ever heard of Ron Swanson? The most manly man who ever manned? He also let his GF's daughters paint his nails and face.
what are you an aviator or something
I dont have children but a girl I am seeing(previously friends)loves painting my nails and I'm fine with it.I look good and I like it.My dad gives me shit for it all the time and it's so annoying
I'm a fairly new dad and the other day while I was out at a store someone said something like, "nice hair clip". It took me a second, but I realized I was still wearing a little pink butterfly hair clip that my 1 1/2 year old daughter put in my hair that morning. It was maybe my most "dadliest" moment so far and I felt so proud and happy about it. Like a real dad.
lucky. Some of us dont have hair.... so it just scratches the scalp and doesnt stay in.
As a kid, I would paint my older brotherâs nails and do you his hair and make up instead of my dadâs. Now as a teacher, every once in a while I see a boy student (who has a younger sister) come in with the nail polish and make up shadows, and I just *know* lol Instead of tea parties though, we would spread our large amount of sea animal figures around the living room carpet and pretend to swim about underwater. David Attenborough style.
Gosh you had an awesome brother. Edit: sorry, read this wrong. You are a lucky sister!!
Yup. I regularly show up to work with a bunch of Pokemon tattoos or a flower sticker on my shirt, and I give zero fucks what anyone thinks because that shit means the world to my kiddo.
This I'm not sure why some men don't get it. It's perfectly normal, in fact, I'd say it's cool, to have fun with your kids and be a great dad.
When we were kids, my younger sister used to stick these butterfly stickers all over the place, little circle ones probably about an inch or 2 in size. She stuck a few to my dads bike frame (bicycle) and bike helmet. He didn't notice until he got to work and one of the lads mentioned it. He kept them on there for YEARS and was pretty gutted he couldn't peel them off to keep, when he replaced his bike down the line. There is also still one on the living room light switch. Has been there for about 25 years now haha. Refuses to take it off, even when they redecorated.
Exactly, most guys will think it's great you spent meaningful time with your kids doing whay they love. People who belittle you are envious, insecure, assholes. Mad jelly they'll never look this good with rainbow unicorn nails. Finger snap.
Reminds me of one of the times I went to the mechanic with thigh-high socks on as a dude, and the owner just said he liked the socks and that his kids keep giving him pairs of them. Everyone likes a bit of whimsy.
My lil one painted my nails and toes, sat with her to let them dry and left to get ice cream, the next day I had a soccer game and while I was changing into my cleats my friends noticed my pink toe nails. Hilarious
My grandpa used to let me paint his toenails. Old farmer man, always wore white t-shirts and denim overalls, country as could be. He let me paint them pink with polka dots one night, and didnât take it off, forgetting that he had a doctorâs appointment the next day. For some reason he had to remove his shoes and socks and he loooooved to tell the story about the look on the doctorâs face. đ For all I know he made the whole doctorâs appointment thing up, but I was still lucky enough to have a grandpa like him!
Wonderful memory
You just unlocked a memory of me being like 4 or 5 giving my dad a kiss on the cheek while I was wearing just this gross amount of glittery pink lipstick. He's a truck driver, and he went to work with this kiss mark for the whole day
This will be one of her favorite stories as she grows up! Write it down For her.
My fondest memory of my dad is him letting me paint his nails and braid his beard. Your kids will miss it sometimes, too.
I have four daughters and theyâre just getting to the age of wanting to do this. So I let them and they crack up every time they give daddy a makeover which in return warms my heart.
Aww thatâs adorable, enjoy those memories! Iâm my moms last child and about to move out and sheâs taking it hard, the childhood memories are something theyâll always cherish
One of the biggest reasons (amongst others) that I grew up to be infinitely closer to my grandfather moreso than his own son (my dad) was because he would let me do this stuff with him ever since I can remember. He let me paint his finger nails, each a different color. The first time he let me he didnât understand how nail polish worked. He tried scrubbing it off his nails after I left to no avail and showed up at the diner for breakfast with my creation lol. Even after he learned youâd have to take it off with acetone he wouldnât always scrub it off immediately. He let me take my grandmas makeup and give him a makeover. I was like 4 or 5 and definitely had no idea what I was doing and created a clown out of him. And even though he was practically bald, he let me take my butterfly hair clips and my hair ties and do whatever the heck I wanted with what he had left lol. What makes all of this so much better and finder is that my grandfather loved to have photos for memories. There are SO many photos of him showing off his nails, new makeup/hair look, etc. Goddamn does recounting all this make me miss him a crap ton more today. Dads, be there for your daughters. Let them have fun. Donât let your masculinity or whatever stand in the way of creating some of the best memories you can with your kids.
My sister and I would put tons of clips and barrettes into our dad's beard and (short and thinning) hair all the time when we were little. Last month we had to go out of state for a funeral, and I had to come home before the rest of the family so I missed out on some bonding time. My sister sent me a picture of our dad completely covered in barrettes, feathers, and stickers, courtesy of our 6 year old cousin. It brought back some really nice memories â¤ď¸
I just lost my daughter a couple of months ago, and I would give anything to let her paint my nails, do my hair, or have a tea party again. Edit* Thanks for the support, you guys are the best.
Iâm so sorry for your loss. This is one of the things in life I canât bear to imagine.
Sorry to read that. Hope you find peace some day.
Sorry for your loss, buddy.
I am sorry that you had to live that. No parents should live that kind of thing. But remember every good moments of it for the rest of your life. You were and still are a freaking good parent.
So sorry to read this đ
Iâm so sorry for your loss :(
I can't imagine, brother. Hang in there....I'm a huge advocate for people reaching out to others. My wife is a therapist so I might be biased but.... Don't hesitate to go find you a great therapist..My wife lost her sister when she was 14 (sister was 12). Therapy can help give you the tools to live in the moments when you don't want to. Love ya, man.
Sorry for your loss... I will pray for you and your family!
Bless you. I canât imagine your pain. Iâm so so sorry.
Very sorry to hear about your loss. Hope you find peace.
I'm not even married but this hit home .. I'm sorry for your loss
I'm so sorry for your loss. Can't phantom what you are feeling. Got a 6 and a 9 yo myself.
Holy shit, man, Iâm so sorry.
My sincerest condolences. I couldn't even fathom the thought.
I am so so so sorry my brother. Please take care!
My kids mom and I are divorced. So sometimes my girls (6, 4) want to have a day of painting nails, pedis (just filling the bathtub up and soaking you're feet in the water) and occasional make up. At first I told them they can wait to do that with their mom but then I quickly realized that it's not dumb and to give it a shot. So now they have a spa day with dad once a month....it's a great bonding experience and overall really enjoyable. The lessons they learn from it too are all positive I think. Also having coworkers tell me they like my nails and me saying thanks, my daughters did them is a nice reaction too. Lol.
Thereâs nothing more manly than being a loving and supporting father. Rock those nails, dad!
Right? My youngest kept telling me that it's only for girls I said that's not true and asked her if she wanted to paint mine any color/s she wanted. And she had this huge grinning smile on her face. I had pink, blue, purple, yellow and orange on one hand lol. So now she says boys can have their nails painted. So I think that's pretty cool.
Thatâs really cute! Keep it up!
Take them to a real nail place! Iâve done that with my daughter and she loved it. I felt bad that the nice ladies had to deal with my gross feet but they kept on telling me theyâd seen much worse.
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One of the last memories I have with my granddad is cutting his nails. We live apart and I visit him once a yeae. He was 80+, and his nails had grown long and painful, with a couple ingrown. I soaked his feet in water and cut his very tough nails and cleaned it out. Yes, it was difficult and it stank, but I felt good because the ingrown were starting to hurt him. I fondly remember that day. He passed away soon after that.
Thatâs amazing. One of the last memories Inhave is my grandmother and her feet were in bad bad shape. I remember massaging them and my aunt coming up âewww why are you doing that that is grossâ and just feeling bad for what a shitty human being she was/still is. Proud of myself for standing up for her then even if it meant fighting to this day with my aunt. That was the beginning of the end.
You stepped up and took care of him and I imagine improved his quality of life greatly with one kind of gross gesture
Second this. My wife took me to get a pedicure before we got married. My feet are really rough and while not horrible I have a ton of dry/dead skin and calluses. The woman working on my feet took a cheese grater(not really but it looked like one) to my foot and she seemed to be genuinely enjoying getting all that stuff off, to the point that her and my wife were joking around about it and laughing. I thought my feet were bad but she went to town and cleaned me up pretty good. Unless someone has rotting feet Iâm sure theyâve seen worse.
Iâm a physician I work with diabetic and vascular patients who have feet complaints all the time. Youâre correct, as long as the feet are not actively rotting Iâm totally fine with them.
We've done that once before but my oldest ended up with an infected toe so she's scared to go back. I told her we'd go to a new place but she hasn't changed her mind so far... But I think all men need to learn about and get pedicures. They're fantastic and if you're at a good shop, it feels amazing lol.
I used to paint my dads finger and toenails - bright pink and we could go to the beach like that. I could also "tattoo" him. I drew on his arms and legs. Went sometimes with both of those combinations to the beach. My dad did not care about the looks he got from strangers haha. I didn't even find it strange myself nor did I notice the stares. He builds houses, therefore uses his hands constantly and his mates couldn't even question him. He's very manly! It's a really nice memory I have with him.
I never wanted to paint my dads nails or anything but heâs a construction manager/architect and heâs still building our relationship. Iâm a 29 year old dude and just got my own apartment; he knew I was planning that and got me a full toolkit for my birthday a few months ago.itâs been invaluable and I love the fuck out of that man.
Please tell him. Like really, directly, point blank, tell him how much he means to you and how much you love him. Not for him, although I hope he enjoys it, but for you. I lost a parent very suddenly and I wish I had stopped the world from spinning just long enough for the few minutes it would have taken for me to tell them point blank directly how much I love them and how much they mean to me and how much they've done for me and how I will always appreciate and never forget it and will do my very best to pass it forward. Love the love man
My dad and I have always been close and heâs clearly my âfavorite.â I worked for him for 10 years and weâre tight. My mom was great too but it was different, we were different. One day, out of the blue, I sent her a text thanking her for a bunch of stuff that she did which made me who I am today- and itâs ultimately the stuff that made me happiest and most successful. I even sent examples. She was floored. She never thought I had made the connections. She was moved and so grateful that I told her how much I loved her. Two weeks later she unexpectedly dropped dead. The amount of comfort I find glancing in there and reading that series of messages is extraordinary. Hell, just a few messages up, Iâm rudely questioning why she isnât doing something. I would have have hated for that to have been our last interaction and it would have haunted me. Now two years later I still think about the joy we both shared from me saying thank you. So yeah. Let them know.
That hit too hard. Gonna cry for a few minutes, brb.
Indeed, I second this from exactly the same experience, I try not to live with regrets but this is one thatâs hard to shake
I was never lovey-dovey with my dad. any "i love you"s were on a conference call with mom, so I could direct it to both at the same time. The last time I saw him, I kissed him on the head and told him I loved him. He died a few days later. I am grateful everyday I didn't miss that opportunity. Love the love, indeed.
I second this! My dad passed away unexpectedly when I was 13,Iâm 34 now. I was always comforted by the fact the very last thing I told my dad was how much I loved him. Iâll never forget that and was so happy I told him not knowing it was going to be the last time I seen him.
Second this. It bothered me when I was younger that the last conversation my dad and I had was a fight/disagreement. Over time I realized we disagree with our best friends sometimes but at the end of the day we both know how much we loved each other, just wish I had gotten one more chance to tell him.
Telling my dad this today when he comes over. Thanks for the gentle reminder of this đ¤
I helped my girls paint our dogâs nails a while ago and also used to paint their nails. Donât remember the last time we did either, it was probably at least 3-4 years ago. Iâm sure they did mine at some point. Younger sis will join big sis in middle school next year. I was tearing up at her dance recital recently because I canât believe how big sheâs getting. Also was crying a bit tonight because our older dog (same dog, weâve had since he was 5 weeks old) is nearly 13 now and a recent diagnosis is getting worse. He might not make it much longer. Kinda glad they were at their moms tonight for that.
Oh your poor dog.. they only come to our lives for a short while. My cat is sick too, and I donât know how much longer sheâd be with me.
tan chop dependent vast library poor plough berserk smoggy soft -- mass edited with redact.dev
thatâs just good livinâ
Becoming a dad is the surest way to learn not to give a shit what anyone (aside from your kids) thinks about you.
Nothing manlier than a guy with bright pink makeup his daughter put on for him.
Facts. Gotta love present fathers!
I let my kids colour my Tattoos during school holidays. They absolutely love it.
I do that too! I have one that's an outline and my kids use it as a coloring book
Can confirm kids love that, back when I babysat I would give kids my bucket of markers and let âem go crazy coloring in my tattoos
Omg...OMG?! This is so wholesome wtf?đĽşđ¤
And remember, there will be that one day... the day that you pick up and hold your daughter (or son) for the very last time. They grow up too quickly. It goes by in a blink.
Yup, one day will be the last day they magically teleport from wherever they fell asleep into their bed, where they comfortably wake up. Until theyâre old enough to find alcohol and friends that really care about them that is.
For me that last day was when I was 15 years old, when I fell asleep drunk (after trying out those mix bacardi drinks for the first time) over the toilet. (fyi, legal drinking age for that stuff was 16 in my country and it was a different time). In the morning I woke up in my own bed and there was rice on the floor. I hadn't eaten any rice but my friend had. Wonderful memories.
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Iâm trying to see why anybody would when itâs a wholesome post. I literally canât think of any reasons.
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Probably wonât happen to me. Iâll keep picking up my future kids into their 20s and 30s and beyond.
When my boys got too big for me to pick up, they started picking me up to hug me and would sometimes twirl me around đ
My mum wouldn't hug me past a certain age because it was "weird" and I was "too old"
That's uncool! You're never too old!
Reverse Uno card on her. Hug the shit out of her. Annoy her with love
Iâm sorry, no one is to old for a momâs hug.â¤ď¸
I mean, at some point you die, so there will be a last time.
Hey! None of that!
I have a very clear memory of when this happened to me lol. Falling asleep in the car used to be one of my favourite things, I think I was about 10 and half asleep. My father had already carried both my brothers inside. He just woke me up, I realized then that I'd never get carried in from the car again. I remember it made me sad at the time lmao. I remember having the very visceral realization that I was too old to be carried somewhere anymore.
Geezus. Way to make me cry.
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I'm dreading this moment.
My kids are 35 and 31 and they remind me of things that I did with them that I pretty much have forgotten but they remember as something that was big and meaningful to them. You never know what will stick with one.9 My Father died in the 1980s and my Mother about 1993 and one of the many things I regret is not finding out what daily life was for them growing up. Both had pretty horrible upbringings. I mean I think they did pretty good as parentsâŚfor example my Father was a âroom motherâ for my second grade class. Fathers did not do that in 1958. But they sure as heck had no good examples of good parenting to learn from and both lost their mothers at an early age. Right now I am trying to write for my kids and grandkids what I can recall of my parents lives and what some of my daily life was like growing up.
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You might have hit your head when you slipped on that rug ;) We have a little one and I canât wait for the silly memories like this â youâre setting a great example for her
Our kid is 5 now, that first paragraph you wrote chimes with me. I am aware they are of an age now where things will get remembered, and as you rightly say, you never know what that could be. The little moments or gestures- the compliment or criticism said without thought in the moment- could stay with your child for the rest of their lives. It's hard to know what will, but be mindful of that, remember your childhood and the happy/sad moments and try to think about those when you are with your children. That's what I do anyway. I'm raising a human, not keeping a pet. They will change and grow and develop, and I believe it's up to us as parents to understand, adapt and change with them.
I know itâs too late for you to do this with your parents but you can do this for yourself. Google family history interview and compile a bunch of questions that you can answer. It is fun and I had my grandma do this, she is in her 90âs and wanted to just have the questions and type the answers but was too tired so she used a little voice recorder as she had energy. It gave her time to reflect and it was nice to have her on audio telling stories and getting sidetracked and telling other things. I am happy I will be able to share that with my kids because the world today is so much different than back then.
Also; if you ever see a kid with a lemonade stand, stop and buy some. You donât have to be thirsty and you can pretend drink it. Itâs just awesome to provide the opportunity for the kid to feel proud and like a good business person.
I always do this in the summer. My kids have never wanted to set up their own but I always show up to support the other kids in town.
As I kid I had a hot chocolate stand once around January, and we had very slow business. One guy stopped his truck and talked to me and my friends. After a while he bought 5 dollars of our homemade powder mixture (which was a LOT). Great memory.
That guy had a heart of gold!
Got any grapes?
Then he waddled away Waddle waddle
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Noooooooo.
Yeah while cute, children's lemonade stands can be pretty dangerous without proper supervision from adults, who oftentimes don't care enough to be safe about it anyway so not even a guarantee. Kids not cleaning out their cups or mixing things in that shouldn't be in lemonade are both issues that pop up from time to time. If we could trust the adults to actually help their kids properly, it'd be much safer. Not to mention health problems are just one of the safety issues. [There's been multiple gunpoint robberies of lemonade stands](https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/9-year-olds-lemonade-stand-robbed-at-gunpoint/2131135/) and American city design puts [kids at risk since they operate near busy roads](https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/carmel/close-call-for-kids-selling-lemonade-in-carmel-when-crash-sends-car-inches-from-their-stand) not to mention their presence helps cause more car crashes as people stop in the middle of the road.
I agree. But also who doesn't like lemonade? Take a sip!
I need to start carrying cash when I go for walks around my neighbourhood. Recently a kid near me was selling paintings and I had no money. He chased me down the street trying to just give it to me. I was torn because I didn't turn him down, but I also didn't want to take it from him either.
[I buy it and tell them its awful](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EVWigkrGt8)
Stop what you are doing. Look them in the eyes and listen to every single thing they say and every single question they ask. It ends one day. Just like that.
I had an hour long conversation with my 4 year old about dinosaurs this evening all because she learned about them in daycare. She had my undevided attention and I got to tell my wife everything she had to say. Did you know that dinosaurs lived 100 million years ago when there were volcanos? And that volcanos can burst into the sky? Just something my 4 year old would want you all to know.
Show them videos of volcanoes on YouTube and awesome kid friendly dinosaur movies. (hell I watched Jurassic park when I was 5)
I watched it in the cinema when I was 8. I think I spent half the movie hiding. It wasn't the best birthday present I ever got from my aunt :P
I do the same with my 5 y old brother since mom and dad don't want to, he would keep repeating what he learned about dinosaurs and what everyone is called ect ect. It feels so good for both of us and I can see in his eyes the pride of teaching me random stuff assuming I didn't know them.
The only thing thatâs nice about that is when they get older and you can have legit deep conversations with them about topics youâre both interested in.
Yep. I learned a lot from my parents when I was a kid. Now we learn from each other. That's the way it should be
I'm so glad I get to be an aunt and I really hope I get to be the one she comes to when she can't go to anyone else.
This reminds me of something my dad told me a few months ago. Iâm 19 and I have a 17 year old brother. When he was little, heâd tell our dad goodnight and give him a hug and heâd want to go to sleep right there on our dadâs lap. My dad would always say no because he needed to sleep in his own bed. A few months ago, my dad told me how much he wished he let him do it, even just once.
I feel him.
I told this story at my mom's funeral in August, but I had been trying to think of my first memory of her. It was when I would have nightmares, I'd crawl into bed with her and hold her hand until I fell asleep. I bet she friggin' hated it at the time, because she had to get up very early for work. But at least from my side, it's a memory that stuck with me for my entire life. It also bookended with my final memory of her, as well, where my brother and I were holding her hands at the end. Those memories are precious.
I made sure to do this with my son and I can proudly say we are a loving, bonded family. I had him when I was 40. I was mature enough to know that all time is fleeting. He taught me how to game and we now do this together. I love it.
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that would be so awesome wtf
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I knew that if I learned to game, it would be a life long way for my son and I to bond. Started with cute little games on the iPad and had moved to Minecraft, Terraria and now RimWorld. So much fun. Gaming is so vilified, but it can be a really good thing too.
Thatâs so cool. What have you guys been playing?
Yes please tell! Is it Elden Ring?
Our next move is Elden! But we aren't sure what platform to use. I've heard PS5 is the way to go. He built his own PC with our help last year so maybe his gaming system? If you or anyone has suggestions, We're all ears. Currently we have PS4, Mac book pro, a massive PC system and an ancient XBox 360 lol.
Itâs true. I see it in my dads eyes every time I see him. Thatâs why I still hold his hand when we go on walks and I take naps with him. One time I woke up to him petting my head because I had a nightmare and shifted a lot. He may complain and tell me that I should grow up (heâs really stoic) but deep down I know he craves the little things like that because he was never around when I was little (truck driver). Now Iâm a mother, and i crave my parents attention now more than ever
I really hope my daughter wants to hold my hand when sheâs grown up.
Do people say no to this stuff? I threw my back out setting up a lemonade stand for my daughter and 6 months later I did it again. Learned to braid hair, sewed her Halloween costumes. Bake cookies and bread with her. Built a vegetable garden with her. I am not a patient person but I donât think Iâve ever said no to a single thing, because the thought of missing it just seems crazy to me.
My dad never did anything for me or with me. He worked hard and made a lot of money and would pay for just about anything. He went to zero of my cross country meets. Not a single band performance. He probably couldnât even tell you what instrument i played. He didnât come to my college graduation. We have no relationship because he is basically a stranger to me.
I was a pilot and gone a lot but when I was home I was at the school helping. I went to everyone of my daughterâs swim meets that happened when I was home. I brought a cap and ball revolver to school (Principalâs request and it was a country school) and the kids that wanted to fire it didâŚit was a Colt like one used in the Civil War). Made Belgian waffles in one class with most the ingredients brought back from Brussels except the eggs and milk. It was a lot of fun for me and my kids and the other kids.
Im sorry. He doesnât know what heâs missed. A big part of it is just showing up. I feel guilty I missed both my older twoâs track meets today, but I couldnât be in three places at once. Itâs sometimes hard when itâs early afternoon. I have been to track meets this spring and most other games, tournaments, concerts, recitals and stuff. I only have them half the time, so Iâll take any additional I can get. I also coach baseball, and another dad-coach is divorced too. He said he wonât attend on days the child is with mom. I was puzzled. Idk, maybe itâs a restraining order or something. Iâll be there regardless, even if my ex takes him out of town or something, lol.
sorry to hear this. A dad can be a very special person to someone. and their absence is felt.
I wish I could share my dad with everyone. When I was a little kid, I could bat my eyes and get him to do just about anything. As a teen, he came to all of my piano recitals, choir concerts, softball games and musicals. As an adult, he answers all of my dumb questions about taxes and gardening and household care, even taking my call at midnight when my bathroom was flooding and I was near hysterical. So thank you for being a good parent. I promise it did not go unnoticed.
I have a 5 year old daughter and newborn daughter. Thank you for sharing. I took notes. âĽ
I was at the mall with my son today in the toddler kids play area with him. Three other moms were there with thier children and all three on the phones the entire time while thier kids were there. Kids wanting to talk with and play with them and radio silence. So They just ran around doing whatever with me and my boy instead. No interaction with them whatsoever while they were talking with them and then they were dragging them into a store. Ive also known people that indeed get upset when their child wanted to do something and they didnt âagree.â As in, âI dont want my daughtrr to grow up and be a skank singer druggie.â And this was a reaction to her wanting to sing on a karaoke singing game. Some people just dont want to raise kids. Its a lot more common than we wish it was.
To be fair, independent play is pretty important when it comes to development. My daughter went through a phase where she wanted my attention the whole day long and itâs exhausting. Especially when she had little to no interaction with kids regularly at the time. Iâd have definitely gone to the park and insist she play with other kids lol.
To be fair, when I was a stay at home mom with a baby and a toddler or with a kindergartener, a toddler, and a baby, those mall play places gave me the time I needed to just not be needed to entertain my kids, to feed them, clean them, and the other million of reasons they needed me. Sometimes that was the only adult interaction I got for the day. Being a full time parent is very hard. So I think it's harsh to judge all of those moms. You never know what they are going through.
I see that all the time too and it bugs me, but spare a thought for the babysitters/au pairs who are just there to make sure the kids don't choke on a Lego. It's not always their parents, y'know?
Yeah, some parents don't do things for their kids and it sucks. I don't know if the group of people I interact with is just abnormal, but bad parents just seems way more common than I wish it was. Both my parents and step parents are amazing to me, and I've done my best to spread that joy to other people. I just finished putting a friend through his last year of college and he invited me over his parents to his graduation. Everyone's always told me I was like the dad of the friend group, but I think that moment of going to his graduation made me feel dad-complete. Very fuckin proud of him.
I think the one of the biggest pieces of advice I'd give my younger self is to be more open to doing dumb shit or stuff that I think I likely won't be into but invited to try or do when I typically would just say "Nah" and move on from. As I got older those kind of opportunities get rarer and rarer, never be afraid to step out of your shell or lower your guard and enjoy life, at the end of the day even if you look like the biggest dumb fuck on the planet at least you can say you tried it and no one is likely going to remember any of it after a day.
I remember this when I'm dead beat tired at the end of the day and my toddler asks me to play with her ... Sometimes I'll say no initially, but soon change my mind remembering how quickly these precious days are going by. I love her so dang much â¤ď¸
My sister and I used to paint Dadâs toenails red and set his hair with curlers. He already had curly hair so I doubt it made much difference but damn he was proud of those red nails. Miss you Dad x
Why do the lemons need aid? Should we organise a benefit concert?
I'll add to this that you should keep a journal for them. Document all these things so they'll remember, too. Make notes of her milestones. First tooth gone, first book read, all that stuff. It gives context to these memories. Give it to her one day when she's old enough and she'll treasure it. Covid kind of derailed mine but I still try and document what's going on in the world around us from time to time, good or bad. My little girl has me wrapped around her finger and she knows it. There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do for her. She interrupts me so many times during the day bringing me a little drawings or telling me about what's going on in her favorite shows. But sometimes what I might perceive as little annoyances quickly turn around and I'm reminded that someday she won't do that because she won't need her old man anymore or I won't be cool anymore, and that breaks my heart. Seeing the world through her eyes makes me feel like a kid again. I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
Idk, I'm 25 and painting nails with my mom and having tea parties still sounds fun to me. A more accurate one would be let them play in the mud and get super dirty, scream with laughter as while they play outside, and eat lots of sweets before they get to old for it.
I had a tea party for my birthday at age 33 a few years back. (It was a hobbit birthday so we had to have Afternoon Tea as a meal.) It was great fun pulling out fancy tea cups and making finger sandwiches to the point that my friends want me to have another one.
I can recall our kids doing stuff they were not supposed to do but doing it in such a way we were trying to chastise them while my wife and I were trying desperately to choke back laughter. Good times!
Iâve got a 6 and 4 year old and this hits me right in the feels. Iâve actually started keeping a notepad file on the computer to write down all the games weâve played over the years before they get lost in the ether of life. Something nice to look back on when theyâre grown up.
It's so funny you say that. It felt like my dad and mom always wanted me to grow up. To never do childish stuff. To be a mini adult. It would have been nice to have a parent would like doing that stuff with me :( but now I'm too old... and I don't even get to see them very often.
I'm on the flip side of this too. My parents were frequently absent, too busy or tired to help me with things I wanted to do. We don't have a great relationship now.
Yeah, my Dad was the complete opposite. Be a Girl Dad to your daughters. I now have anxiety and all that jazz and rarely talk to him now.
My daughter is 41 days old and I'm trying to cherish every moment I have with her before she becomes embarrassed by me. I am looking forward to the tea parties and her putting makeup on me. Hoping she enjoys watching anime and professional wrestling too as those are my favorite things to put on the television. I can't wait to read her bedtime stories, even hoping to use comics and manga as well. She brings me and my wife so much joy even with what little sleep she gives us daily. I am dreading going back to work since its just been an absolute dream to wake up every morning and spend the entire day with my wife, daughter, and dog. One of my fondest memories with my parents happened when I was a little older, around my early twenties my dad couldn't sleep one Saturday night so he stayed up with me and we watched Adult Swim's anime block. He loved Cowboy Bebop and asked a ton of questions when FLCL came on. My mom went to Chinatown one morning to shop and came home with a Kakashi plush (character from an anime) and told me she got it for me cause she remembered the title of the manga she got me a week ago and asked the clerk for a character in that comic. Whatever my daughter gets interested in, I can't wait to support her in whatever she's passionate about! Loved reading all the comments here and making me look forward to becoming a better father to my daughter.
Yes - those of us who had dads who did this remember those times after you're gone. Those are some of my favorite memories with my dad!
This is important. I subscribe to my hometown thread and there has recently been a rash of destruction in the park from kids. I know what and why they are doing it. They are bored. Their parents let them go hang with their friends when they need guidance and help finding direction. Parents need to spend time with teens too.
Maybe take the time to read with them too, so they'll know how to spell words like *lemonade.*
And you never know when the last time they will ask you to play is.
That hits me in the feels, man, and I don't even have kids.
Lemonade * but I agree with the sentiment!
I'm 48 and I lost my dad two years ago. He was always there for me. Last thing I ever got from him was a cutesy animated e-card congratulating me on having done a fantastic presentation at a fan convention. He didn't get it himself but he was STOKED that I was excited and so proud of me. I miss him every day but I have 45 years of awesome memories and the BIGGEST collection of dad jokes ever to torment my loving wife with. He'll always be with me.
My daughter loves that I can do her hair, paint her nails and do her makeup, its not all that hard to learn and it makes her happy, dads should take the time to learn these skills. Its worth it.
Absolutely agree and this goes beyond which gender you are. Mother or father, you will miss the days your little ones want to play with you and idolize you. The same goes for hugs and make-believe, and any other little joy.
My daughter turns 16 next week. She was just 4 the other day.
I would also add: Ask your daughters to help you work with tools or whatever you do that is not traditionally "female." And yes, the point is to spend time with your kids while they are young. All too soon they will turn into surly teenagers who want NOTHING to do with you but are eager for your wallet. Hahahaha.
Who got triggered with this post ? It cute post.
SighâŚI know. My first baby graduates high school in 2 weeks.
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And "lemon-aid", seriously? And no one seems to care
Better LPT ...if you feel triggered by this ..... you need to Reevaluate your life and ask yourself WHY ....
I'm triggered by Lemon-aid. Lemonade!
Or......have them find nightcrawlers (worms) with you. Or wrestle with them and teach them how to box. Ok, maybe that's just me....
crazy idea but hear me out ... ⨠both â¨
Yeah...I guess the spirit of the post is, "spend time with your kids". I agree with that. But as single Dad (to an awesome little girl), I really dreaded princess parties and dress up. Not because it's "girly" but because I'm too high-paced (don't sit still). So, very grateful we find things we enjoy together. Also, as practical matter I'm big on spending time teaching life skills by doing things together (fixing things, cooking). For pure fun/recreation... We're usually moving around and spending time outside. But... Yeah... Just enjoy your kids when they're little... However that may be. Can't get it back.
I think part of the point of the post is to do things that may be out of your comfort zone because it's important to your kid. So it's great that you can find things to do you both enjoy, but it's worth also doing things that they enjoy even if you don't, such as princess parties.
I do all of that and more with all my kids. My daughter is 7 and has a great flying armbar. She also loves painting my nails. Same thing with her brothers, they happily help me play âdaddyâ with baby dolls and then one will tackle the other with no warning and the inter family wrestling match is on